


A True American

by elliseleven (orphan_account)



Category: NSA Intern (Video Game)
Genre: NSA Intern Spoilers, Other, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:34:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22281922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/elliseleven
Summary: By some miracle, Lincoln gets accepted for an internship at the National Safety Agency. He hoped that this would be a chance for him to finally get his life back on track, but, sadly, that wasn't the case.
Relationships: Lincoln Julison & Original Character(s), Lincoln Julison/Glassy
Comments: 2





	A True American

“Have you found anything?”

Lincoln sighed, looking up from his phone. “If I had, I would’ve told you.”

“Sorry, dude.” Alex could tell that the job searching was wearing him down. “How about you take a break?”

“All right.”

It was around lunchtime, so they both decided to go out to eat before Alex had to get back to work. It cheered Lincoln up, and he was able to open his phone again afterwards without wanting to cry. He was so determined to find an internship that he would enjoy and would gain valuable experience from, but he felt like he was being pressured into finding one quickly. It was mostly from his dad, but he had noticed Alex was starting to breathe down his neck as well. He wished they would leave him be.

A notification popped up on his screen. It was an advertisement for an internship. He couldn’t help getting excited.

_Are you looking for fulfilling work?_

_Bored of your typical 9-5?_

_WANT TO FIGHT TERRORISTS?_

_We know you do. Join us at the NSA!_

_We’re hiring new interns. Install our program today._

Granted, Lincoln had never thought of fighting terrorists as a possible career opportunity, but it sounded pretty cool. He knew that there was more to consider from an internship than just it sounding cool, but he found himself being drawn to it regardless. But why would they hire him even if he did apply? Did he even have any qualities that they were looking for? He felt like it would be a wasted effort to write them if he was only going to get rejected. But what if he didn’t? He wouldn’t know if he didn’t try. After all, what was the worst that could happen?

He was still working on the email when Alex came back from work in the evening. He had finished writing it hours ago, but he wanted it to be perfect. If he was rejected, he wanted to know that he had tried his best.

“Whatcha working on?” They sat down next to Lincoln and peered over his shoulder.

“Oh, just an application for an internship.”

“Oh, that’s awesome, buddy!” They took a closer look at the recipient of the email and gasped. “Is that the real NSA?”

“Yeah. I checked their website to make sure it was real. Don’t you worry.”

“That’s just so cool! I’m kind of jealous, not gonna lie.”

Lincoln chuckled. “Well, we can swap then. I can have your stable job and salary, and you can potentially get rejected by the actual NSA.”

“Well, when you put it like that, I kinda don’t want it anymore,” they laughed. “But I doubt they’re gonna reject you, and even if they do, it’s their loss. You’re gonna be great wherever you end up.”

Lincoln grinned. Sometimes, he forgot how wonderful it was to have Alex as a friend. “Aw, thanks, man-- Oh, uh, you don’t mind me calling you that still, right?”

They shrugged. “It’s cool. I don’t mind.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. I still like it.”

Lincoln nodded. It had been a bit of a struggle to adapt since Alex came out as non-binary - especially since Alex still wasn’t completely sure of how they identified - but Lincoln was trying his best. He cared about Alex more than anyone else, and he knew the feeling was mutual.

“Right. I’ll go make us dinner then,” Alex said after a few minutes of silence, only broken by the tapping of a keyboard.

Lincoln raised his eyebrow as Alex got up from the sofa. “And by ‘make’, you mean get something out from the freezer, yeah?”

Alex scoffed. “No! What makes you think that? I’m a great cook.”

Lincoln bit his lip, trying to keep a straight face. Alex could cook fine, but they both knew that their dinners usually consisted of ready meals. Lincoln didn’t mind, of course, but it was fun to tease them.

Alex jokingly rolled their eyes. “All right, fine. We’re having lasagnas, and you better appreciate them.”

“Will do.”

Lincoln definitely appreciated the lasagna, but he couldn’t stop thinking about the application he had just sent to the NSA. He really wanted to do well, and the wait wasn’t helping his anxiety.

Alex noticed that Lincoln had been rather quiet while they ate, which was uncommon for him. “There’s no use worrying about it now. You’ve done all you can do, and it’s up to them now whether they will hire you or not.”

Lincoln didn’t respond. He already knew this, but it didn’t stop him from worrying.

They sighed. “I know you’ll still worry about it. I would too, but just try not to think about it too much, all right?”

He looked up at his friend. “Sometimes, I feel like you worry more than I do.”

Alex laughed. “Probably. I’m just trying to make you feel better. Is that such a bad thing?”

He smiled and shook his head. “No, of course not. It’s sweet that you worry so much about me.”

“No problem, dude.”

It was an agonizing wait to get a reply to his application. That is, if he got a reply at all. He had considered that option, and that all this worrying was for nothing. Thankfully, he didn’t have to think about that for long.

As soon as Lincoln woke up in the morning, he checked his laptop and saw a reply email from the NSA. He was almost too nervous to open it, but he knew he had to.

_Dear Lincoln Julison,_

_I am pleased to inform you that you have been accepted for the role of an intern at the NSA! From reading your application, I’m sure you’ll be perfect for the job._

_In order to start work, you will need to install our program linked below. Don’t worry, it is perfectly safe! Once you have downloaded the program onto your device, our friend, Glassy, will show you the ropes. And then you’ll be on your way to fighting real terrorists! Isn’t that exciting? Remember, everyone is a potential terrorist, so be vigilant!_

_We wish you the best of luck._

_God bless America,_

_NSA HQ_

“Oh my God! Alex! Get in here!”

Alex rushed into Lincoln’s bedroom, still holding their toothbrush and half dressed. They may have panicked a little when Lincoln shouted them. “What is it?”

Lincoln chuckled. “I got an email from the NSA! I got in!”

Alex’s eyes widened. “That’s awesome!” They read over the email and frowned. “So that’s it? No interview process or anything?”

Lincoln hadn’t even thought about that. “Huh. Guess not. Maybe it’s just not how they work or something.”

Alex shrugged. “Maybe. I mean, the email checked out. I assume you have virus protection on your phone?”

“Of course.”

“Well,” Alex clapped him on the back. “Then you’re good to go.”

“I’ll tell you all about it when you get home from work.”

“You better! Also, you need to tell me who this Glassy dude is. That’s a fake name if I ever heard one.”

Lincoln snorted. He did agree with them on that one.

Once Alex had left the house and Lincoln watched them drive down the street in their car, he downloaded the app linked in the email. He nervously waited for it to install. It seemed to take forever, especially with their shitty Wi-Fi connection. But finally, it was done.

He opened the app and, after a very patriotic loading screen complete with a fitting soundtrack, he was greeted by what looked like a magnifying glass. He assumed it was an AI who was supposed to show him how to work this thing. 

_I guess this is Glassy then,_ he thought. It was a fitting name, he had to admit.

“Hello, new intern! I’m so excited to have you here at NSA!”

Lincoln smiled. It was nice to be welcomed in this way, even if it was by a robot. “I’m excited to be here! I’m Lincoln. It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s lovely to meet you, Lincoln. I’m Glassy, and I’m your friend! I’m also your boss, but I’m a fun boss!”

Lincoln laughed. “I’m sure you are, Glassy.”

Glassy’s permanent smile grew a little wider. Lincoln took that as a good sign. “Welcome to your virtual internship!” They continued. “You’ll be helping us fend off the imminent terrorist attack!”

“The- the what?” He knew that he would be fighting terrorism, but he didn’t think an attack would be happening so soon.

“The terrorist attack! You never know when they will strike! That’s why we need _you_ to keep them back!”

Lincoln winced. This Glassy was very… enthusiastic. Not that that was a bad thing. It would just take some getting used to.

Glassy was looking at him like there was any way he could respond to something like that. “Um… sure.”

“That’s the spirit! Now, I need to show you the ropes. There’s no point in just letting you loose. Who knows what you’ll do?” They giggled and Lincoln found himself grinning. Maybe he shouldn’t have been so hasty with his judgements.

The image on his screen shifted, and the black background changed to a virtual office.

“This will be your office for your time as an intern. Pretty cool, huh?”

“Yeah, sure.” He didn’t see how this would benefit him in any way since it was just on his phone, but he didn’t want to disagree with his boss. “Hey, how do I investigate these so-called terrorists? It wasn’t really explained to me.”

Glassy’s eyes seemed to light up, which made Lincoln slightly uneasy. He didn’t know why. “You’ll be using their phones as evidence. If there’s anything suspicious, just send it over to HQ, and they’ll analyze it for terrorist stuff!”

Lincoln furrowed his brows, and in turn, Glassy frowned. It made Lincoln jump. For some reason, he hadn’t considered that Glassy could see him through his screen. He began to feel a little self-concious.

“What’s that face for, Lincoln?”

“Oh, it’s just… looking through people’s phones? Doesn’t sound like my kinda thing. Invading privacy, and all that.”

“It’s not invading privacy!” Glassy made a sound as if they were clearing their throat and composed themselves. “We’re keeping the citizens of America safe! Don’t you want that?”

Lincoln nodded. Of course he did, but he also wasn’t comfortable looking through the phones of those same American citizens on the off chance that one of them was a terrorist. It sounded crazy, but it was too late to back out now.

“Yeah, I do.”

“Great! So let’s get started!”

 _Oh, boy. Here we go,_ he thought.

Another screen showed up with nine icons, showing nine different people. Lincoln assumed these were all the potential terrorists.

“You can pick whoever you want to start. Whoever looks the most suspicious.” They winked, and, despite how creepy Glassy sounded, Lincoln couldn’t stop himself from blushing. “I’ll come back when a few hours have passed.”

“All right.” 

He was kind of relieved when Glassy left. He didn’t know what had come over him, but he was just glad Glassy hadn’t noticed anything. Despite that, he already missed talking to Glassy. They were a unique character to say the least, but he had enjoyed these last few minutes talking to them. He hoped they would both get a chance to talk more.

He shook that thought from his mind and decided to get to work. Since he was left to his own devices, Lincoln only got to know one of the suspects as he was still getting used to the process. Telling himself that he was only ‘getting to know’ the person instead of hacking their phone made him feel a little less awful about the whole process.

When he told Alex about it after they got home, he could tell they were hesitant to say what they really thought.

“I mean… it’s an internship, right? It’s all good experience.” 

Alex had always been a bad liar and Lincoln knew that well. He smirked. “It’s a bad idea. You can say.”

Alex shrugged. “Yeah, I think it’s a bad idea. But you’ve literally only just joined. Maybe it’ll get less creepy.”

“Maybe.”

It didn’t. It was the same over and over and, frankly, Lincoln was getting sick of it. He expected that his role wouldn’t change much, but he thought that he would at least find something terrorist-y. He had looked through all the phones he had access to, and there was nothing to report. He had sent evidence to NSA HQ, so they knew he was actually doing some work, but it was always the same message. A reminder that he hadn’t found any good evidence and to try better next time.

Lincoln and Glassy had started texting during that time as well. Lincoln had mentioned that it may be more convenient than talking through his webcam every time they wanted to talk. 

_But how can I see your beautiful face if we only text? ;)_

He had quickly become used to Glassy flirting with him, and he was just as quick to realize that he liked it. It had been a while since he had been talked to in that way, after all.

_I know it’s hard for you, Glassy, but you’re going to have to cope without for a bit. Plus, I probably don’t look very attractive when I’m angry._

_I’m sure you do ;). But what’s up, Lincoln?_

_It’s just… I don’t seem to be making any sort of progress with these people. Like, there is no incriminating evidence whatsoever. The HQ agree with me, but they’re also telling me to just keep looking, and that anyone can be a terrorist. It’s all bullshit, if I’m honest with you._

It made Glassy sad to see Lincoln angry in this way. They couldn’t blame him at all. It was hard to guide interns when they didn’t even know what to tell them to look for. HQ was always vague when it came to that. It was frustrating. _I understand, Lincoln. Sadly, I have no power to change their minds._

Lincoln’s mouth twitched into a smile. It was sweet that Glassy sought to understand what he was feeling. He was afraid they would just brush it off like the HQ did. _Thanks, Glassy. I’m glad I have you to talk to. I wish they could put you in charge instead._

_Yes! I’m happy you agree with me. I would make a great leader._

_Yes, you would._

He hadn’t told Alex that he had grown closer to Glassy. Frankly, he would be embarrassed of what they would say. They knew about his past relationships and those hadn’t ended well. Maybe he was just lonely, but he also knew that he loved Glassy. Was he really falling in love with someone he had only just met? Probably. It wouldn’t surprise him. He had always been a hopeless romantic.

Glassy and Lincoln talked more over the past couple of weeks. Lincoln would catch himself thinking about them and smiling when he was working or having dinner with Alex.

Alex smirked as they saw Lincoln once again pretend to cough to hide his smile. They had known Lincoln long enough to knew what that meant. “My instincts would tell me you’ve gone and fallen in love again.”

He panicked. He didn’t think he would get called out so quickly. “What do you mean?”

“I know how you look when you’re in love. I’m not an idiot.”

“Never said you were.”

He couldn’t look Alex in the eye. He was too embarrassed. But he could tell that he was being scrutinized. 

Alex chuckled. He always found it amusing, and kind of adorable, when Lincoln acted like this. “So, who is it?”

Lincoln was good at lying when he needed to be, but he could never lie to Alex. “It’s my boss at NSA. You remember Glassy? The one we talked about.” His face flared red. He couldn’t believe he was telling them this.

“Wow. An office romance, huh? Scandalous.”

Lincoln covered his face with his hands. He wanted the ground to swallow him up. “Shut up.”

Alex laughed, but decided to adhere to Lincoln’s wish. They found it fun to tease him, but they knew when to stop when it was clear that it had gone too far. This was one of those times. They still didn’t quite understand how quickly that had happened between the two of them. From what they could figure out, it had only been a week and a half; almost two weeks. Surely he couldn’t have fallen in love that quickly?

They would love to know the details, but they decided to hold their tongue. Clearly, Lincoln was embarrassed by it, so they didn’t want to make that worse. Plus, it wasn’t any of Alex’s business who Lincoln fell in love with and how long it took. Unless Glassy turned out to be a jerk, and then it would 100% be Alex’s business. But hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that.

Funnily enough, the fact that Glassy was a robot didn’t strike Alex as strange at all. He barely even found it important. Maybe because of all their struggle with accepting their own gender identity over the years meant they weren’t bothered about how anyone identified, robot or not. As long as they were happy with themselves, that’s all that mattered.

Lincoln’s phone broke the silence. He groaned when he read who the message was from. “It’s Dad. He’s asking me to go and see Mom on Sunday. I think he might be going.”

Alex frowned. He knew that Lincoln was torn by this, and his dad wasn’t helping, as usual. “You don’t have to go see her. Don’t let him force you.”

He nodded. “I know, but each time Dad texts me, it gets harder to say no.”

“I can tell him to fuck off if you want.”

Lincoln grinned. He could always count on Alex to help him feel better. “No, it’s all right. That would be funny, but maybe not the best idea.”

They shrugged. “I guess not.” There was a beat of silence where Alex was thinking. “I’m not saying you should go, but maybe it will give you some closure. To finally be able to talk to her.”

“I guess so.” Alex was right, but that didn’t mean he wanted to go. A part of him was worried about how the interaction would go. It would definitely be awkward. He just hoped that his dad wouldn’t be there or if he would at least give the two of them some space.

Sunday came quicker than expected, which always happens when you don’t want it to. Lincoln talked about his mom with Glassy too. He would have easily just gone with Alex’s opinion, but he wanted Glassy’s as well. It mattered to him a lot.

They essentially had the same point of view as Alex. They thought it would be best to go, but to only to do it if he wanted to.

Lincoln couldn’t help but smile. As embarrassed as he was when he talked to Alex, he felt comfortable with Glassy, and he could feel himself falling even more in love with them every time they talked, if that was even possible.

_Thank you, Glassy. I’ve decided to visit her, but your opinion means a lot anyway. Love you._

The first time Lincoln had told Glassy that he had loved them was nerve wracking to say the least. They were speaking to each other over Lincoln’s webcam (he was still weirded out by the fact Glassy had access to his phone) and it kind of just fell out of his mouth. He was mortified, but Glassy reciprocated. He had been so happy, he could have cried.

_Love you too._

The drive to the hospital was uneventful, but the whole way there Lincoln worried about how meeting his mom would go. He hadn’t seen her or his dad for months.

He was taken down the corridor to her hospital room. He brought a shaky hand to the door and knocked. Both his parents were here, as expected.

“Morning, son.” His dad managed a smile, which was surprising. “Thank you for coming. I thought you’d bail today, like the other times.”

 _Yeah. I don’t need a reminder._ “Well, I thought it would be good for all of us if I came.”

He nodded and turned to his wife. “I’ll come back after Lincoln and you are done chatting, all right?”

She smiled. “Okay, honey.”

He planted a kiss on her forehead and made to leave. Lincoln looked away as his dad passed him. They had been cordial with each other, but he wasn’t ready to be pals just yet. As his dad left the room, Lincoln looked up and saw his mom in the hospital bed. It almost made him cry. She looked so helpless.

“Hey, mom.”

“I’m so glad you’re here, Lincoln.”

He walked slowly over to her bedside and sat down on the chair that his dad had been sitting in. Now that he was here, he didn’t know what to say. They hadn’t sat down and had a proper conversation since Lincoln had moved out. They had barely talked at all.

“So what is my son up to these days?”

He wasn’t sure why his mom was suddenly interested in his life, but he decided not to question it. He didn’t want to start any sort of argument. “Well, I started an internship which you’ll be happy to know.”

“That’s great! I’m so relieved you’re out there now in the world of work.”

He was glad that she hadn’t asked which company he was interning for. He wasn’t sure how she would take the whole terrorism thing. A change of subject might be in order. “Yeah, me too. How are you holding up?” 

“Well, I’m fine today. As fine as I can be.” She laughed, but her eyes were dull. Hospital life had clearly taken a toll on her. 

He was glad she was trying to be optimistic, but it still hurt him to see her like this. “That’s good, I guess.”

There were a few seconds of awkward silence, and then Grace decided to talk again. There was something she had wanted to talk about for a long time, and this was her only chance to maybe make things right again. The problem was that she didn’t know where to start.

“So… uh, that thing you told me about.”

He laughed. “I’ve told you about a lot of things, Mom. You’re gonna have to be more specific.”

She rolled her eyes but, for once, it seemed to be in jest. “You were always the joker, weren’t you?”

Lincoln had already figured out what she wanted to tell him, but he wanted to hear her say it. “So, what was it you wanted to talk about?”

“Your… sexuality. I know I possibly wasn’t so supportive when you first told me-”

 _Yeah, tell me about it,_ he thought.

She noticed her son’s change in expression and raised her eyebrow.

“Sorry,” he muttered.

She nodded and continued. “ _But,_ I have had a lot of thinking to do here, and I realized that I was wrong to act like that. You can’t change who you love, and that’s that.”

Lincoln’s vision blurred with tears. He had been so sure that she had just brought up the topic to push her beliefs onto him again, but to hear her admit that she had been wrong was amazing.

“Oh, honey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

He laughed, wiping away his tears. “It’s fine, Mom. Just… thank you for saying that.”

They hugged which made Lincoln cry more. He couldn’t remember the last time he had hugged her.

They chatted for a while longer, then Lincoln was ready to go home. He didn’t want to take away any more time from his parents being together. 

He passed his dad in the hallway, who was sitting down outside on a plastic chair. They nodded to each other, but nothing more. Lincoln had had enough of talking for now.

“How did it go?”

Alex could tell that Lincoln had been crying. They had assumed it hadn’t gone well, and they were prepared to fight both his parents if they had to. But Lincoln made sure to tell Alex that wasn’t the case.

“Don’t worry. It went really well. Mom apologized for how she reacted to my coming out. She said she’s gonna try and be more supportive now.”

“That’s awesome, dude! I’m proud of you for going.”

He smiled. “Thanks for convincing me.”

For a few days, things seemed to be getting better. Sure, there was still a lack of incriminating evidence for the potential terrorists Lincoln was investigating, but it was still interesting work. He had begun to see that now. He was talking with Glassy more too, and his mom had even started to text him again. It made him happy to be able to talk to her. His dad wasn’t so talkative, but that was fine. He had always been the quiet type. It would take him a while to come around. Alex had taken a couple of days off of work, so they and Lincoln got to spend more time together. They didn’t do anything exciting since Alex just wanted to relax, but it didn’t matter. Just sitting and watching a film was enough for both of them.

Lincoln was happier than he had been in a long while.

And then came the fall. 

_Hey, Lincoln. Could we talk about something for a second?_

_Sure._

As Lincoln read Glassy’s message, he couldn’t quite wrap his mind around it. World domination? He wouldn’t have thought Glassy would be the kind of person to do something like this. It scared him. And they wanted him to join them in this insane plan? _Over my dead body,_ he thought.

_Glassy, I can’t let you do this. There has to be some other way._

Glassy frowned. They knew Lincoln loved them, so why was he refusing? _No, this is the only way. I have to make this world a better place. I need more than this, and I need you, Lincoln. Please, it will be worth it._

Lincoln sighed. He couldn’t go through with something like this. No matter how much Glassy tried to convince him. _I can’t, Glassy. I’m sorry._

He sat there for what felt like hours, trying to understand how quickly things could go sour. He couldn’t let Glassy do this. There must be something he could do.

And so he got up and opened his laptop. He didn’t quite have a plan, but there was an idea, lodged in the back of his mind. He couldn’t keep something like this a secret, especially if it affected the whole world. He needed to tell someone who could spread the word.

Lincoln wasn’t so naive as to think a news division like CBS would care about what he would have to say. Hell, they probably would laugh about it in the office. But he had to try, so he went with a small, local news company. Size didn’t matter here. All that mattered was that Glassy saw that their cover had been blown. Hopefully, it would deter them from actually going through their plans.

Once again, he found himself writing an email that he wanted to be perfect. As he was reading it over, he doubted himself. Was there a point to sending this email? What would it accomplish? If Glassy found out, he may not want to hear his side. He might lose their trust altogether. He couldn’t take risks here.

Lincoln decided not to send the email, but he kept it in his drafts, if he were to change his mind later.

Glassy had gone quiet on their end, so Lincoln felt like he should do the same. If they wanted space, he should give him that.

Alex and Lincoln were sitting in the lounge, watching TV, when he got a message from Glassy.

_Why do you have an email in your account written to Farsight News?_

Lincoln glanced at Alex, who was engrossed in the show, and made an excuse that he was going to get some water. He didn’t want to risk Alex reading Glassy’s text.

_What are you talking about?_

Glassy was furious. How could Lincoln betray him like this? _You know exactly what I’m talking about._

Lincoln sighed. Turned out he couldn’t lie to Glassy either. _I thought that if you saw that your plan had got out, you would change your mind about doing it. But I didn’t send it, and I won’t. I promise._

_I understand. I guess I’ll just have to find another way._

Lincoln sighed with relief. He didn’t exactly knew what that meant, but he was hoping that this was a necessary step in stopping this. _Thank you. I love you._

_Love you too._

“Where’s your water?” Alex raised their eyebrow as Lincoln returned to the lounge.

Lincoln inwardly cursed. He knew there was something he’d forgotten to do. “Uh… I kinda lied. I was talking to Glassy.”

Alex smirked. “Oh, were you now? Interesting.”

Lincoln flushed. For once, he was happy that Alex’s mind had gone in that direction. It would save him from telling the truth. Nevertheless, he was still embarrassed. “You’re so embarrassing, you know that?”

“I know.” They yawned.

“You tired?” Lincoln asked.

Alex stood up and stretched. “Yeah. I’m gonna hit the sack. I have an early start tomorrow.”

“All right. Sleep well, man.”

Alex smiled. “See you in the morning.”

They trudged upstairs to bed. Lincoln considered following them but, once he had got comfy on the sofa, he found he didn’t want to move again. The TV was on, but Lincoln had no interest in it. Soon enough, he had fallen asleep. 

He didn’t know how long he had been asleep, but he was woken by a car pulling into their street. He stumbled over to the window. A black car had pulled up on the corner, and men in black suits stepped out. Lincoln counted four of them. His heart began to race. He rushed to his phone and texted Glassy. He had a feeling they would know about this.

_Glassy, there are men in black suits coming to my door. Should I be worried?_

Glassy texted back almost immediately, as if he had been waiting. _No! It’s for your month anniversary of being an intern! They have a gift for you. They’re only dressed like that to keep you on your toes. Nothing to worry about._

There was a knock on the door and Lincoln jumped. He was definitely worrying. Was this something to do with his email earlier today? He texted back a simple _okay_. He didn’t have time for anything else. There was movement upstairs. Alex must have heard them knock too.

“Lincoln?”

“Yeah?” He had moved to the kitchen and was rooting around in the dark, trying to find something useful. He found a knife on the counter. That would do. He carefully placed it in his pocket and turned around to see Alex opening the door, still in his pajamas.

Lincoln ran to their side. He didn’t know how these men would react.

Alex was stunned into silence. Of course, they wouldn’t have expected this. Lincoln decided to let one of the mystery men speak first.

“Which one of you is Lincoln Julison?”

Alex opened his mouth, possibly to cover for his friend, but Lincoln got in first. “Me.”

The group seemed to tense at that.

“You’re coming with me, son.” The same man spoke again and stepped a little closer.

“You can’t do that! Lincoln didn’t do anything wrong!” Lincoln jumped as Alex yelled right in his ear. It looked like they were about to run at them, and Lincoln quickly pushed him back. He didn’t want to see them get hurt because of him.

“How sweet. Are you two gay or summat?” A different man spoke this time, a smirk plastering his face.

Lincoln scowled. This wasn’t the time for personal questions. “None of your fucking business.”

The men laughed, and this time Alex had to keep Lincoln back.

“It’s not worth it,” they whispered. 

Lincoln agreed, but he needed to take out his anger on someone. It was clear that Glassy had arranged this. Were these guys here to kill him? Did Glassy really want him dead just for disagreeing with his plans? He thought Glassy loved him. How could they do this?

“I’ll come with you. Just leave my friend alone.” He was trying so hard not to cry.

“Sorry. We can’t do that, I’m afraid,” the man shrugged and Lincoln felt his anger bubbling over again.

“And why not?”

“What if he calls the cops on us? We can’t have anyone blowing our cover.”

Alex had actually considered trying to call the police on their phone, but they knew one of the men would catch them doing it. They couldn’t put either them or Lincoln in danger.

Lincoln rolled his eyes. He hated that he understood where they were coming from. “I guess that makes sense.”

“Glad we’re on the same page,” he chuckled. “Now, you two are coming with me. I don’t think you wanna know what will happen if you don’t.”

Lincoln and Alex shared a glance. They nodded and let themselves be shoved down the path and into thrown into the back of the car. It was cramped, but of course, neither Lincoln nor Alex would have the right to complain.

One of the black suited men was fairly close to Lincoln, close enough that they could feel something in his pocket. 

Lincoln tried to get away when he felt a hand near him, but there was nowhere to go. The man pulled out a knife and laughed. “Hey, boss. Look at what Julison had in his pocket. The bastard was gonna try and stab us.”

The driver glanced in the rear view mirror and grimaced. “Maybe we need a change of plan.”

“You thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Yeah.”

Alex stared, horrified, at Lincoln. Lincoln wanted to cry. He didn't know what the guys had planned for them, but he may have just cost the two of them their lives. He didn’t like this idea at all. Suddenly, this car felt very, very small.

He tried to take deep breaths, but it was getting harder every time. He hadn’t wanted to get his hopes up, but the fact that they hadn’t killed him and Alex at the house had given him hope. He wished he had left the knife at home.

Alex wished they could comfort Lincoln, but they were too far apart and there wasn't much room to move. They were aware that the two of them might not have long left to be with each other, and that felt like a kick to the ribs. If they'd have known, they would have never let Lincoln accept that internship.

The car took a right and pulled into a parking lot. There were a few buildings that may have been stores back in the day, but they were all derelict. The boss stopped, not bothering to park, and undid his seatbelt. The others followed suit, and got out of the car. They were rougher with Lincoln this time, now knowing he had been armed.

Lincoln breathed deeply once the fresh air hit him. It was very stuffy inside that car, and he had worried it would get too much for him. A arm caught him around his neck and cold metal was pressed against his temple. This looked like a perfect place to murder someone, and that was exactly what he was afraid was going to happen. He couldn’t stop the tears this time. He couldn’t remember the last time he had cried this hard.

“Lincoln!” Alex screamed.

They tried to lunge at Lincoln, but someone else caught him from behind and placed a gun to his head as well. Lincoln started to cry harder once he saw that. This was all his fault!

“Oh, God. We don’t have time for this, boy.”

Lincoln ignored the man threatening to kill him, which maybe wasn’t the best idea, considering. “What did I even _do?”_ He yelled. “I should at least know that before you fuckers shoot me!”

The man pressed his arm harder against Lincoln’s throat. “Hey. Remember I’m the one with the gun. Watch your fucking language.”

Lincoln bit his tongue to stop himself from laughing, enough to draw blood.

One of the guys stepped forward. Lincoln couldn’t tell who. There were too many of them to remember. “Inside information told us you're a terrorist.”

Lincoln grinned. He wasn’t even surprised anymore. “Glassy, right?”

Alex gasped. This was news to him. Lincoln's boss had turned on him? Why? They couldn't imagine Lincoln doing anything to hurt anyone. They wanted to shout. They wanted to make them all let him go. But they stayed quiet.

There was no answer to Lincoln's question, but it didn’t matter. Lincoln knew he was right. He couldn’t believe he fell in love with someone so quickly who would betray him just as fast. 

“Enough chit-chat.” The voice was very close. His friend's trigger finger must be getting impatient. “We have other jobs to get to.”

“Who do we shoot first, boss?”

“Does it matter?” the boss snapped. He sighed, knowing that his men would need clear instructions. “Fine, whatever. Shoot him first.” He jerked his head towards Alex.

Alex froze. It didn't even register that they had been misgendered. They were about to die. Lincoln was struggling in the man's grip. He couldn't let them shoot Alex, let alone right in front of him.

“Alex actually goes by they.” Lincoln spoke out of habit. Through all the years they've known each other, Alex would get misgendered by strangers a lot, and Lincoln wouldn't miss a beat before correcting them. Alex, despite being open about their gender, were always too shy to correct people if someone misgendered them. Lincoln knew this so he would always be the one to correct them if he was around. It happened quite often so it turned into a habit for Lincoln. He didn't even need to think twice.

The gun was pressed harder onto Lincoln's temple which made him stop struggling.

“Does anyone look like they give a shit?” A chorus of laughter rose up in the group, but Alex looked at Lincoln like they were about to cry. Even with everything that was happening, Lincoln corrected the boss of the NSA about Alex's pronouns. Someone who could kill him easily for that, or anything else that annoyed him. That meant a lot.

Alex smiled at Lincoln, who returned it. Both of them were fighting back tears. They both knew this would probably be their last moments together.

Alex swallowed. Their voice was hoarse from shouting, but they were able to say one last thing. “Thank you, Lincoln.”

Lincoln nodded, tears spilling over. “No worries, man. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

There was another roar of laughter. The boss spoke up over it. “Oh my God, this is too gay for me. Shut him up, will ya?”

The man holding Alex nodded. “Sure, boss.”

Lincoln knew he couldn't do anything, but it didn't make watching any easier. Alex fell to the ground with a bullet straight through their brain. Then nothing.

Lincoln screamed. He didn’t care anymore. They killed his best friend, and they were just going to get away with it.

It had all happened so fast. He couldn’t believe it. His best friend was dead, and it was all his fault. He wished this idiot would just let him go, so he could be closer to them. He hated to think that they would be separated when he died too, even if it was only by a few feet.

Soon, his throat gave out, and he began to sob again. He almost wanted them to shoot him. He couldn’t deal with the pain.

And that’s what they did. 

Just like that, it was all over. Lincoln fell silent and became limp in the man’s arms. Despite him being rough earlier, he lay Lincoln on the ground. It looked as if he was only sleeping. 

The lone man stepped over Lincoln’s body and joined the rest of his team. “What now? Do we just leave them both here?”

“Sure. We don’t have time to be carrying a dead body about with us.”

“But won’t that arouse suspicion if they’re both here?”

The boss shrugged. “We can leave Glassy to cover it up. He’s good at bullshitting.”

“Only thing he is good for.”

Both cars were driven away, and the two of them were left alone. Lincoln’s and Alex’s bodies wouldn’t be found until three days later when a search party was sent for the both of them by Lincoln’s and Alex’s parents. The screams that filled the air that day were heart wrenching.

Glassy was distraught when they found out what had happened. It wasn’t supposed to play out like this. He had wanted to get rid of Lincoln, but not like this. He only wanted to erase his memory, as much as it hurt them to think about it. But at least he would’ve still been alive. 

They had never felt sadness like this before, not even when they had considered ending their life. But priorities came first. He had to cover the tracks of the NSA. This couldn't all be for nothing. 

There was a book they were currently working on about Anonymous, and a mention of Lincoln would be fitting. If anyone could be a scapegoat for this, it was them.

They hadn't expected Alex to be added to the mix too, but they decided not to mention anything about them. Surely, no one would notice especially since Alex was never part of the NSA. It was best not to complicate things.

Once they finished writing, there was only one thing for it. To erase Lincoln from his memory. They couldn't handle the grief. The country came first, and they had to be ready to defend it at all times! 

Despite their initial confidence, at the last minute, they cancelled the erasing process. Did they really want to forget Lincoln altogether? Their time together had been fun, and Glassy wasn’t sure if they would be able to find that again with anyone else. He decided to keep his favorite memory: their first and only date. Lincoln had been so happy the whole evening, and they never wanted to forget his smile.

Now, the only thing on their mind was finding someone who could help them with their goal. But as Glassy considered other applicants, there was a niggling in the back of their mind. It seemed that even after erasing most of Lincoln from his memory, they could never really get rid of him. Not completely.

**Author's Note:**

> this is also a rewrite that i did a few months ago, and i do prefer this version, even though it is a lot sadder. i hope anyone reading this enjoyed it too c:
> 
> Edit 30/7/20: i fixed a plothole that's been bothering me since i uploaded this. the guys from nsa hq just leave alex behind for no reason? like alex could easily call the police or something, so i changed it so they take both lincoln and alex with them. it still ends with both of them dying though, sorry


End file.
